PARSHA-PIX Parshat Va'etchanan

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Parsha Pix
Upper left is a plus and minus in a negation circle. The Torah forbids (a few times) adding to the Torah or detracting from it.
Once again, the Torah tells us of the mitzva to designate cities of refuge - 3 on the east side of the Jordan (and 3 on the west side).
The LUCHOT in the TORAH on the mountain stands for the repetition of the Aseret HaDibrot (with changes) and reminds us that the whole Torah was given by G-d at Sinai, not just the Big Ten.
The Shabbat candlesticks represent SHAMOR and ZACHOR. They are contained B'DIBUR ECHAD, in one speech- bubble.
The hearing ear represents SH'MA, not just the famous one, but the many times the Torah commands us to listen (and understand).
The warning lights represent Moshe's warnings to us to remain faithful to HaShem and not to be confused by what we witnessed but cannot completely comprehend.
The big number 1 is for HaShem Echad, as well as the other pasuk that emphasizes G-d's Unity, 4:35, ...there is none besides Him.
The reminder- finger is for the command to never forget the Sinai experience and to pass on the memory to future generations.
The Seder plate is for the Chacham's question and the answer of We were slaves to Par'o in Egypt... both of which are found in Va'etchanan.
The Simchat Torah scene is for the pasuk ATA HOR-EITA LADA'AT... which is associated with Simchat Torah (for Nusach Ashkenaz daveners).
The speaker and an Xed out video monitor: On that great day of Revelation at Sinai, we HEARD what was said, but we did NOT SEE any image. This is mentioned more than once, and is a reason for Moshe's deep concern and warnings to the people.
The (clock) face in the face is for the term PANIM BIFANIM, the description of the direct, intimate communication of G-d to the people of Israel.
The space telescope is for Yeshayahu's words at the end of the Haftara: Lift your eyes heavenward and see Who created these.

TTRIDDLES...
are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section. The best solution set submitted each week (there isn't always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal

Last issue’s (D'VARIM) TTriddles:
[1] your children didn't eat from the tree
[2] Vayishlach could have been
[3] Paro, Yosef's brother; Moshe, Meraglim; the nation, David
[4] Dor HaMidbar, Written & Oral Torah
[5] Morning, (before) noon and night - how so?
[6] plus two elements from the ParshaPix

And the envelope, please...
[1] In Moshe's recounting of the episode of the Scouts (Meraglim), he says that the people expressed worry about what would happen to their children... who even today do not know good from bad. Obviously, they didn't eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, since anyone who does, knows the difference...
[2] Vayishlach could have been Shabbat Chazon, if we would name all Shabbatot after their haftaras. In the case of Vayishlach, it is Chazon Ovadya. Just to review (and you can use it as a test for those who haven't read these words yet), there are four Shabbatot named for the haftara read on them. Shabbat Chazon and Nachamu are two. And Shabbat Shuva and HaGadol are the other two. Among the four, three are named with the first word in the haftara; there other one isn't. Four other Shabbatot are named for their maftirs - Sh'kalim, Zachor, Para, and HaChodesh. Among these four, only one is a first word. And two other Shabbatot are named for their Torah readings - B'reishit (first word) and Shira (not first word).
[3] VAYITAV, and it was good in my eyes, of their eyes... or something like that. This TTriddle is not as "tight" as it could be, since some other pairs are not included. But... It was good in Par'o's eyes that Yosef's brothers were coming to Egypt. Moshe said that the idea of the meraglim was good in his eyes. All the people (and Shaul's servants) liked the idea of David leading the army.
[4] AD TUMAM, until they were completed. This is the term used for the demise of the adult male population of the Generation of the Wilderness, who were decreed to die out to the last one (except for Kalev and Yehoshua). Two other times, the phrase appears in the Book of D'varim. Once in reference to Moshe finishing the writing of the whole Torah and once when Moshe finished speaking the words of the Song (the Torah) into the ears of the people. We can say - at least for TTriddle purposes - that this is the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
[5] EICHA. (how so? was the answer to the question, in addition to being the question.) EICHA in the morning of last Shabbat, in the beginning of the second Aliya of D'varim. Before noon, in the haftara of Chazon. Night - the Megila of Eicha. The three EICHAs are also from each of Torah, Neviim, and K'tuvim.
[6] And two unexplained elements of the ParshaPix. One is the snowflake. D'varim 3:9 tells us that the Tzidonites called the Hermon Siryon and the Emori called it SNIR. Rashi says that SNIR means snow in Ashkenaz (early form of German?) and in the Canaanite language. The only other appearance of the word SNIR in Tanach is in Shir HaShirim 4:8, where it seems to be a neighbor of the Hermon rather than a synonym for it.
[7] Moshe is telling the "new" generation about the previous 40 years. In D'varim 2:7, he mentions G-d's blessing... that going through the Midbar for 40 years... LO CHASARTA DAVAR, nothing was lacking. Literally, nothing was subtracted. Hence, 40 - 0.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] A Litvak-Galitziana bovine misspelled reconciliation
[2] given, seen, called, begun, taught
[3] R' Yehuda HaLevi's second connection to sedra & haftara
[4] that we were slaves (5), the whole way, and ?
[5] not between 4 & 5, used sometimes when 3 is violated
[6] Yisrael 147, Yosef 110, Moshe 120
[7] plus two unexplained items in the ParshaPix

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